Sitting like a silent sentinel overlooking Winnipeg Beach, the water tower has become an iconic symbol of this beautiful lakeside town and the first thing that comes to mind when people picture the town. In 1900, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) purchased 32 acres of undeveloped shoreline 65 kilometers north of Winnipeg on the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipeg and commenced construction of what would become one of western Canada's premier resort facilities. In addition to the attraction of a three-kilometre stretch of sandy beach, the CPR also built and offered an array of accommodation, recreation, and amusement facilities. Of the many recreation and railway-related structures erected by the CPR at Winnipeg Beach, only the steel water tower survives. It was designed and constructed in 1928 by the Vulcan Iron Works Ltd. of Winnipeg. Utilitarian in design and appearance, the 40 meter high tower supported a 90,000-litre capacity tank and provided a source of pressurized water for the CPR steam locomotives, and fire protection services for the resort's facilities. Non-operational since the resort closed, the structure is the best example of only five surviving riveted-steel water towers in Manitoba. As in its heyday, the tower is still a prominent visual landmark in and around the beach community. People love to capture it in photos, and those photos reveal the many moods of the sky and water around the tower.